


seasons change but people don't

by theriveroflight



Series: Fair Game Weekend 2020 [3]
Category: RWBY
Genre: (this is definitely a T rating but there are Implications), Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Developing Relationship, Fair Game Weekend (RWBY), Implied Sexual Content, M/M, One Night Stands
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:41:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26813788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theriveroflight/pseuds/theriveroflight
Summary: They make time for each other, over the course of time.
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Series: Fair Game Weekend 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1951570
Comments: 4
Kudos: 24





	seasons change but people don't

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on this one for the longest of the three, and that shows likely in the word count.
> 
> Thanks to [Leida](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thedarkpoet/pseuds/thedarkpoet) for betaing this!
> 
> Warnings: implied sexual content, misunderstandings
> 
> Title/headers from "The Take Over, the Breaks Over" by Fall Out Boy.

_ i. in secret places, we don't fight fair / spring _

It gets complicated easily. Qrow has never been fond of the military. He's often stuck with them because he has to play nice with Jimmy, but that doesn’t mean he has to like it. Playing politics, though, is somehow even worse.

He's accompanying Ozpin to a ball for the equinox. The...the thing is, Qrow doesn't  _ want  _ to be there. But loyalty counts for something, Qrow supposes.

* * *

"May I have this dance?"

Oh,  _ fuck  _ this. The guy's posture makes him look like one of James's men, and the prim and former way he's dressed is...actually, that's ball-typical. 

"Of course," Qrow replies, taking the man's hand. He doesn't lie, but he's polite. They spin around each other and the ballroom. The lead switches between the two of them frequently.

"I'm Clover," the other man says. "It's good to finally meet you."

It feels rude to say  _ Well, I've never heard of you,  _ but when has that ever stopped him?

"My name is Qrow, but you already seem to know that. Who are you?"

"I'm the head of the General's Ace Operatives." Qrow frowns. Even more of a bootlicker than he thought.

"I'm...a teacher at Signal."

"I suspect you are more than that. It isn’t just anyone who gets an invite to these things." Clover's eyes sparkle a bit and oh,  _ hell no,  _ Qrow is not going to think about that.

"And why should I tell you if I am more than just anyone?"

"Well, I think you can trust me."

"With all due respect," which is none, in Qrow's opinion, "I'm not particularly fond of the military."

"You're a Huntsman. You're as much a part of the system as I am. You might call it something different, but we're both soldiers."

Qrow growls with frustration, because he doesn't have a great response to that. The song changes, and he goes to take the excuse to escape, but Clover spins him back into place. And Clover might be physically stronger but Qrow could take him, if he wasn’t...locked into place by convention.

Fighting won’t get them anywhere.

One more dance, he promises himself, and then he's going to escape and return to being a wallflower.

Clover is about as good at dancing as he expects an Atlesian to be. Qrow is good enough to keep up, but he's doing worse on purpose to be petty and maybe step on the operative’s perfectly placed feet by "accident."

"You want to take this outside?"

...maybe Qrow can get a quality one-night-stand out of this. Clover is certainly attractive, even if his principles are a little compromised by being with Clover.

"Let's," Qrow whispers, drawing close...and then backing away. Clover will be the one coming to him once it's over.

Qrow wants Clover to  _ chase  _ him.

_ ii. trapped and well-concealed / summer _

They don't cross paths much in between, but it becomes a whole  _ affair.  _ Nothing permanent, nothing said between them, just some very good times.

Qrow enjoys defiling Clover, making him rough and messy and coming undone, but Clover always manages to right himself  _ far  _ too easily.

Qrow wants to make that permanent, to make sure that Clover doesn't forget.

And maybe that's a little different, requires a little more communication: it wouldn’t be casual, anymore. Qrow's used to casual -- it's been too long since he's had anything serious. Clover makes him  _ want  _ something other than casual. Attachment...yeah, he has issues, he knows.

And, of course, there's his dignity at state. He doesn't need to be  _ asking him out, _ what would that say?

(That he's in too deep already.)

He wants Clover to be the one begging, to be the one asking him in the end. For Clover to fall in too deep for this, to be the one pining and dreaming and wanting.

(Not that...Qrow is doing that, not at all.)

* * *

It's too hot to do much, but their schedules rarely match up, so they're meeting in the summer. Well, it's always chilly in Atlas, but Clover is coming to him. So it's warm, the temperature too high to do anything besides go slow. It's still a good time - they both always leave satisfied, but it isn't as...frenetic as some of their other meetings.

They're both sweaty by the time it's over, but more from heat than exertion. 

In the afterglow, Qrow ends up letting himself slip a bit. "I think we should talk." He traces circles on Clover's shoulder.

"Clean up, first," Clover murmurs, impossibly soft. 

And so they both move towards the shower, taking care of each other, nothing besides that. Qrow dries off Clover's hair, ruffling it up on purpose. He's taller than Clover when he isn't slouching, but Clover always looks taller due to his impeccable posture.

"So," Clover begins, "you wanted to...talk?"

"I did. But if you want to say something first…"

"I think we should end this." It isn't what Qrow had expected. He tries not to tense too much, his experience in repressing physical tells coming in handy. "The other operatives think something's up, with me going away on our off days. And I don't know if I can keep the secret. If I can't keep it a secret, this needs to end."

Qrow is an expert in both keeping and having secrets, but he understands. "I…"

"This is our last night." Clover kisses him. "Let's make the most of it."

_iii._ _ don't pretend you ever forgot / autumn _

They keep encountering each other afterwards. He knows that Clover's afraid he'll let it slip.

_ Qrow  _ can keep a secret, whenever necessary. And it kind of is.

He goes back to Patch a few times, visiting Ruby and Yang, older than they have any right to be. He sticks around for Ruby's 12th birthday, and then he leaves again. He knows they would love to have him stay. But he can't.

The next time he sees Clover, it's  _ in  _ Atlas. Ozpin has asked him to check up on James while Signal has a three-day weekend.

And it should be a quick in-and-out thing. Should, being the  _ operative  _ word.

"You can't have…" Clover says. He sounds off, confused, hesitant. 

"You left me," Qrow growls. "Respect that, and  _ back off." _

“Don’t…”

“What?” Qrow snaps. “What do you want me to do? I don’t owe you anything.”

“Don’t forget.”

He never would.

_ iv. always been waiting / winter _

Atlas is cold. It’s been...a long time, and a lot has changed. Qrow hasn't seen Clover in far too long, but their relationship ended a long time ago. There was no real reason, all too often, and he would never dare ask  _ Winter  _ about him.

But they do meet in Atlas. Qrow would have been naive to think they wouldn't.

The reunion is...rocky, but eventually they get back on their feet, and they get a conversation.

"I'm...glad you're here," Clover tells him in the mines. "The situation is only getting worse, and we need all the people we can trust right now."

“Okay.”

“So,” Clover says. It feels awkward, but that’s…about where things are. 

"Yeah." Qrow has been...waiting for this time. "Why did you end things?"

"I told you -- I'm not great at keeping secrets."

"To be as high ranking as you are, you have to be able to keep some."

"I was also afraid, but more afraid of the consequences of someone finding out over anything else." 

"Are you still afraid?"

And then the ground crumbles in front of them, a hole opening in the permafrost. Qrow frowns, but Clover just pulls down a beam and fills the hole in.

"It isn't your fault,” Clover says.

"I know I have flaws. I'm trying to work my way past them, though, and I thought you and me would be the one thing I couldn't ruin, because we balance each other out."

"It was my fault."

"I was going to ask you to be with me that night."

"Oh." And they keep walking a bit more.

"I didn't think…" Clover hesitates. "That you really wanted me. Winter told me about that fight, your disrespect for the military."

"I l-like you more than I dislike them," Qrow says, "and if you're willing to try again, so am I."

**Author's Note:**

> uhhh come talk to me on tumblr @alto-tenure (main) or @beunforgotten (writing)


End file.
